AEW's Eddie Kingston Injured, Anarchy In The Arena Replacement Revealed On Dynamite
This past weekend, Eddie Kingston lost his NJPW Strong Openweight Championship in a No Ropes Last Man Standing Match against Gabe Kidd, which saw Kingston suplexed out of the ring, his leg colliding with the barricade. It was recently speculated that Kingston was dealing with a legitimate, significant injury and the worst seems to be confirmed.
On "AEW Dynamite," AEW EVPs Matt and Nick Jackson explained that Kingston was too injured to compete in the upcoming Anarchy In The Arena Match at AEW Double or Nothing on May 26. Kingston was supposed to team with FTR and former rival Bryan Danielson to defend AEW's honor against The New Elite's Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Kazuchika Okada, and Jack Perry. There is no word on how long Kingston will be out of action. While the barricade legitimately injured Kingston, The Young Bucks and Jack Perry added narrative salt in the wound by attacking the former ROH World Champion after his loss. The attack marked the Bucks' first time back in an NJPW ring since before AEW was founded in 2019.
Kingston took to Instagram to share a photo of him, seated in a wheelchair, smoking a cigar, captioned with a quote from famed amateur wrestler Dan Gable.
Kingston will be replaced by former AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin, who returned from numerous injuries, including being hit by a bus, to help FTR and Danielson fight off the New Elite at the end of the episode. According to Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez, Allin said he is not 100% heading into the brutal match, as on top of his many injuries, a superplex during the show's main event led to Allin getting hit in the head with a beam while he was hiding under the ring.
Darby notes he's not 100%, he's still got a limp and his nose was broken by a fucking bus, and he thinks a beam hit him in the head when Dax did that superplex, so he needs to go to the hospital or something. He vows to see us next time.
— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) May 16, 2024